It wasn’t enough for Kentucky to be getting humiliated 20-0 at halftime by their arch-rival. The universe apparently decided all of Big Blue Nation needed one more kick in the teeth.
Enter Jimbo Fisher who was more than happy to oblige.
Mark Stoops’ former boss, the man Stoops served under as defensive coordinator at Florida State before coming to Lexington, was on the ACC Network halftime desk. You would expect a little professional courtesy for his former pupil, right? Maybe a generic comment about "adjustments" or "fighting adversity"?
Nope. Fisher chose violence. And he delivered it swiftly.
“Louisville is a racehorse and Kentucky is a donkey.”
The ultimate pot shot
Ouch.
Calling a team a "donkey" on national television while they are actively imploding is one thing. But coming from the guy who hired Stoops? That feels personal. It was a soundbite designed to humiliate, and it landed perfectly.
The Jimbo-Stoops irony is rich, literally
Of course, the comedy here is writing itself.
Jimbo Fisher is currently sitting on a television set because he was fired from Texas A&M with one of the largest buyouts in sports history (over $75 million) for failing to win big games. He knows a thing or two about underachieving squads and massive payouts to go away.
In a twisted way, the parallels are perfect. Fisher got paid $75 million to leave; Stoops is currently "owed" around $37 million if he is fired. They are two peas in a very expensive, underperforming pod.
Fisher might be right. Today, Kentucky was absolutely a donkey.
The offense was stubborn and slow. The defense got kicked around. The coaching was absymal.
But getting mocked by a guy who is famous for fleecing a university out of millions while losing games? That is a level of indignity that Kentucky fans didn't deserve today.